West Suffolk

West Suffolk's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure, religion and work life.

The population passed 170,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of West Suffolk increased by 11%, from just under 154,000 to 171,000.

The addition of just over 17,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, West Suffolk was home to, on average, 1.2 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was lower than the average across Eastof England

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across Eastof England, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Change in West Suffolk housing

The percentage of households that owner their home fell in West Suffolk at a faster rate than in Mid Suffolk, a statistically similar local authority area.

In West Suffolk, the proportion of home ownership decreased from 67% in 2001 to 63% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in Mid Suffolk decreased from 77% to 75%.

Across Eastof England, the share of households that owner their home decreased from 72% to 68%.

Private renting in West Suffolk increased from 12% to 18%, while the rate of social housing remained close to 16%.

The rate of home ownership was lower than across Eastof England

Percentage of households that that owner their home across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in West Suffolk

The number of people in West Suffolk that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 24,000 in 2001 to about 48,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 16% to 28% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across Eastof England (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in West Suffolk that described themselves as Christian remained close to 110,000 between the last two censuses (from 74% to 63% of the population). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from just under 14,000 to just under 13,000 (from 8.8% to 7.4%).

Just under 970 people (0.3%) said they were Muslim, up from just over 410 in 2001 (0.6%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in West Suffolk increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and West Suffolk by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in West Suffolk working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 16% to 13% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.7%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.7% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 15% in 2001 to 11% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 13% to 10%.

Long hour working in West Suffolk decreased by 3.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in West Suffolk, Eastof England and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of West Suffolk residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 7.0% to 4.3% in the decade to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (83%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 71% in 2001. The percentage of West Suffolk residents that described their health as fair decreased from 22% to 12%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 7.6% in 2001 to 4.7% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in West Suffolk decreased by 2.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in West Suffolk, Eastof England and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

The percentage of households in West Suffolk, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 8.5% to 11% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over one in four (27%) households had only a single person, compared with 28% in 2001. The percentage of households in West Suffolk, which comprised a married couple (with or without children), decreased from 42% to 37%.

The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 8.8% in 2001 to 10% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 8.3% to 9.9%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in West Suffolk increased by 2.2 percentage points

Percentage of households in West Suffolk, Eastof England and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

↑ Back to the top

Area report data

Related links